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26
shops in the poorer parts of the Borough for three or four a penny.
These are luxuries much appreciated by children, and the Health
Visitor frequently found that the baby of only two or three months
old had been regaled with the same luxury, after which one could
not naturally expect much less than a severe attack of Diarrhœa or
Convulsions. At the termination of this temporary appointment
arrangements were made with the Ranyard Nurses' Society that
their nurses should throughout the Borough carry out in some
measure the visitation necessary under the Notification of Births
Act.
In this way the nurses are brought into contact with the
parents at the very earliest possible moment, so that they can give
useful advice regarding the upbringing of young children, and
then when any children's illness occurs the nurse has already
become a force to be reckoned with in the family life, thus her
services at the actual time of illness become more valuable.
Dysentery. There was one death from this class of disease
in East Greenwich, the patient was attended at the Seamen's
Hospital.
Influenza. Influenza is found to have been the responsible
cause for 12 deaths in 1912; 15 was the average of the previous
three years. Of the 12, 3 were over sixty-five years of age.
Sporadic Diseases. Tetanus. There was 1 death from this
class of disease during the year. This occurred in the person of a
carman who was attended in the Seamen's Hospital.
Venereal. Syphilis. Nine deaths were given as due to
Syphilis, as against 7 in 1911, 6 in 1910. Of these 9 deaths, 4 were
children under five years of age. Four occurred in East Greenwich,
3 in West Greenwich, 1 in St. Nicholas and 1 in Charlton. Four
of the deceased persons were in the Greenwich Infirmary.
There were no deaths from Gonorrhœa during the year.
Septic. Erysipelas. One death occurred from this cause
in 1912, 5 in 1911, 3 in 1910, and 1 in 1909.